Devil Riders

Tired of trying to con the public into thinking Billy the kid was anything but a cold-blooded murderer, Producers Releasing Corperation brought stars Buster Crabbe and Al "Fuzzy" St. John back together for a new series featuring a new squeaky-clean hero, changing his name from Billy Bonney to Billy Carson and his clothes from black to white, with the exception of his hat. Though not a wanted (or framed) outlaw anymore the new Billy was pretty much the same as before.

The Devil Riders is typical but entertaining, with the usual amount of shootouts, horse chases and fistfights. There's also a good musical interlude with authentic 1940's western swing music.

The plot involves a new stage line passing through outlaw territory. Billy, the proprietor of the local Pony Express and the stage owner are friendly rivals for a mail contract. The outlaws try to kill the coach line by attempting to start a feud between the two competitors but ending up with Billy and pals fighting back against them.

"Billy Carson" (Buster Crabbe) helps a stage line beset by outlaws who are secretly working for a crooked businessman who wants to get rid of it so it won't interfere with his plans to buy valuable land along a proposed railroad route. Not quite as cheesy or inept as the usual Crabbe PRC western, and Patty McCarty is several notches above the usual PRC heroine in both looks and talent, but it's still PRC, so you know pretty much what to expect, and you pretty much get it.

Devil Riders finds Buster Crabbe with a change of last name, from Bonney to Carson. No longer would his Billy The Kid past and reputation need explanation, from now on Crabbe would be Billy Carson the rest of the series, just your average white hat cowboy hero.

This film has Crabbe riding for the Pony Express, but a new stagecoach line is coming into the area which will eventually mean the end for the Pony Express. No hard feelings, it's just progress.

But some villains want that land the stage goes over and will try to create a feud between the rivals. But when they're up against a genuine cowboy hero, better they not start the whole thing in the first place.

Devil Riders is highlighted by the guest appearance of Tex Williams one of the great country/western performers of his time doing a couple of numbers. It would have been nice if Williams had done his legendary classic Smoke Smoke Smoke That Cigarette. His record of that song which talks plaintively about nicotine addiction was a big seller a few years after Devil Riders came out. Phil Harris had a nice version of that song as well.

Nothing special here are than Billy is a full fledged hero and Tex Williams gives us a couple of songs.

The scheme of wrecking the stagecoach line by pitting the pony express company and stagecoach line against each other could just work if Buster Crabbe - a pony express rider - hadn't figured out the diabolical scheme, and all this is condensed into a fast moving plot, plenty of action and chases, though the latter can be quite protracted and can become slightly tedious. But hey it still passes the time adequately, and it's a good watch - and there's the legend Buster Crabbe.